Prisoner
by sLiCkEsT DiNo
Summary: After recovering from his amnesia, Barry no longer acknowledges having feelings for Iris. Meanwhile, someone seeking revenge for her father's death targets The Flash and his team. (Sequel to Hostages)
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

 **Hey everyone! I'm baaaaack! This story is set sometime in season 2. Just a quick note: This is (sort of) a sequel to Hostages, so if you haven't read it, you probably should. What I mean by "sort of" is that even though this is a separate story, you do have to know some of the things that went on in Hostages, to understand what I bring up in this one. Basically, they're in the same AU.**

 **Anyways,**

 **Enjoy XD**

"No. No way that scene was improvised!" Iris nudged Barry's shoulder playfully as they walked down the snow-covered sidewalk.

"It just proves that Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor." Barry nudged Iris back, shooting a cheeky grin her way.

"DiCaprio is talentless." Iris sneered, and then laughed when Barry's smile faded into a frown.

"Oh yeah?" Without warning, Barry shoved Iris into a hill of snow.

"So that's how we're going to play, huh?" Iris grabbed Barry's arm pulling him down on top of her.

They locked eyes with each other, swapping smiles before Barry stood up, and then assisted her off the ground.

"Oh, thanks. You're such a gentleman." Iris sarcastically joked.

"And you have no taste in quality."

"I resent that. I have perfectly good taste. I just have high standards when it comes to acting, and Leo doesn't make the cut." Iris teased.

Barry just chuckled and they linked arms, continuing their morning stroll.

"I'm so glad you woke up...both times" Iris piped up at a time that seemed to be random.

"Huh?"

"9 months and then another 3 weeks was long enough. My life sucks without you." Iris gave Barry a warm hug.

"Aww. That was so sweet." Barry quipped after a few moments of silence.

Iris shoved him. "I'm serious! Don't be a wise-cracker with me, Bartholomew."

"Bartholomew? Ouch. Am I in trouble?" Barry laughed when Iris' face grew red.

Iris giggled. "Stop making me laugh! I'm trying to be mad at you!" She attempted to force a grumpy face but it only melted back into a smile when she saw the large grin that was stretched across Barry's face.

After a few more minutes, they walked into Jitters. Iris' ears were red from the frosty air, and Barry's cheeks matched.

"Can I just have a regular espresso?" Barry asked when he got up to the counter.

"And I'll take a Flash." Iris added on. Smiling at the fact that The Flash was standing right next to her.

Barry and Iris took a seat at a nearby table to wait for their drinks.

"Nice hot coffee is perfect for a day like this." Barry stated looking out the window at the snow hitting the ground.

"Especially when you've been pushed into the snow and it gets into your shirt." Iris replied and then playfully glared at him.

"Holding a grudge much?"

Barry's phone buzzed and he took it out of his pocket. It was Joe calling.

"Sorry. I have to take this, one moment." Barry stood up from his chair and walked over to a quieter area.

Iris couldn't stop looking at him. She'd kissed him twice, admitted her feelings for him, and it pained her everyday that he didn't remember any of that. She was too scared to say anything again, fearing that he didn't remember that he had feelings for her, so she stayed quiet.

" _Okay. I'll have it to you by tomorrow. Bye Joe."_

Barry hung up his cell and shoved it back into his pocket, and headed back to his table.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" A woman apologized after bumping into Barry. She was tall, slender and had those icy blue eyes that you see in movies.

"No. That was me. I'm clumsy that way." Barry blushed and Iris frowned.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked. "You look really familiar."

"Uhh. I don't think so."

"Yeah, you're right. I would remember an adorable face like that." She grinned and then took out a piece of paper and a pen. "Give me a call sometime. I'm Penny." She stretched out a hand and Barry shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Barry." he replied putting the piece of paper in his pocket and returning to his seat.

Iris sat there with a glare on her face. "Really? Her?"

"What? She seemed nice. I might as well try to get myself back out there now that Patty's gone."

"Eh." Iris scoffed, crossing her arms and leaning back.

"Do you know of anyone else?" Barry firmly replied getting annoyed with Iris' tone. He still carried the same smile however, making it hard to tell if he was joking.

"Yeah.." Iris mumbled.

Barry's eyebrows raised. "Who?" It hurt Iris that he seemed completely oblivious. Just a couple months ago, they were so close to becoming something, and now it seemed as though he never had feelings for her.

That's when Barry's phone buzzed again. This time it was Cisco.

 _Meta at the corner of 5th and Holly. Disturbing the peace._

Barry's gaze lifted up from his phone, a sad look etched on his face.

"Meta?" Iris asked. She was used to it by now.

"Sorry. I'll be back in a Flash." Barry winked and then he was gone. It was a small wonder how no one saw him, but everyone was so absorbed in either working, or checking their Instagram, that it didn't really leave you hanging for too long.

When Barry arrived, it took him a moment to take in what was happening. A tall man was standing in the middle of the road, stopping traffic.

" _Barry?"_ Cisco's voice chimed in through the comms.

" _Yeah Cisco, I'm here. Looks like this guy is just bugging people. I'll take care of it."_

"Hey! Big guy! A word please?" Barry called out to the man. It was hard to tell because his face was mostly covered, but it seemed as though a smile manifested on the strange person's face as he walked towards Barry.

"Ah. Flash. A little later than I expected."

"Well, I was having a pleasant morning with my friend, until you rudely interrupted it."

Barry sped over to him.

"I wouldn't get too close. You don't know what I'm capable of." The man's voice was coarse and powerful, and it sent chills down Barry's spine.

"Oh boy."

Without warning, the meta shot his hand out and a crushing force began to squeeze Barry's neck.

Barry gasped, flailing his legs.

" _Barry? Talk to me, what's going on?"_ Cisco panicked.

"I've been waiting a long time to do this, Flash. The sad thing is, I thought you would put up more of a fight."

Barry started to vibrate, attempting to phase out of whatever had him hovering in the air. Fortunately, it worked, and Barry dropped to the ground, wheezing for breath.

"Not bad, Flash." The meta spoke. "But not great." He shot out his hand again, and this time Barry sped out of the way. He managed to land a punch on the meta's face, and knock him to the ground.

"Don't underestimate me." Barry replied, sending another punch onto his jaw and knocking him unconscious.

" _Barry?"_ Caitlin said.

" _I'm here, Caitlin. This was a little too easy. I'm bringing him in."_ Barry grabbed the meta's shirt and sped him into the pipeline.

"Sebastian Smythe was awesome!" Cisco could be heard saying as Barry walked into the cortex.

"Sebastian Smythe sucked." Barry joked, taking off his gloves. He laughed at Cisco's face.

"What happened out there? What did that meta do?" Caitlin asked, grabbing Barry's chin and examining the cut on his forehead.

"I'm not too sure, he was able to control the air or something?" Barry smiled at how worried Caitlin looked over a tiny gash. "I'm okay, Cait."

Caitlin nodded. "I would still like to get it cleaned up." She replied, leading him into the med bay and gathering a bottle of peroxide and some gauze.

"Cisco, we need a name for this guy." Barry called out.

"Oh, right. can we wait until we know what he does?"

"Yeah." Barry responded, and then winced when the peroxide stung.

"Barry. I've been meaning to ask you." Caitlin started. "How are things going with you and Iris?"

Barry furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"How… do you _feel_ about her?"

Barry shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "You mean like romantically?"

Cisco banged his head on the desk, amazed that he didn't remember having feelings for the love of his life.

"Yeah." Caitlin answered as she placed a large band-aid on his gash.

"She's just a really good friend, Cait…"

"Caitlin!" Cisco called her over. He quieted down to a whisper. "I think we should leave it to Iris to tell him. It isn't our place."

"I know, but she hasn't exactly said anything, and I've seen the pain in her eyes everytime he's around her acting completely oblivious."

Cisco narrowed his eyes. "Still."

She nodded and then returned to Barry.

"What was that about?" He asked, hopping off the bed and speeding out of his suit.

"Nothing. Thanks for another successful meta take down. Now go finish your coffee with Iris."

"Okay.." Barry looked at both of them suspiciously, and then sped off.

Barry stopped just outside of Jitters, and then walked the rest of the way inside.

"Bear. Hey! How'd it go?"

"Fine. He was pretty easy. Caitlin and Cisco are acting weird though. Do you know what that's about?"

Iris shrugged. "So. What other movie scenes were improvised?"

Barry laughed. "Huh. Well, you know Heath Ledger's Joker in the new Batman movie?"...

 **The next chapter will probably be out today. I'm in a writing mood….**

 **Bye!**

 **-Slickest Dino XD**


	2. Chapter 2

Barry entered the house with Iris, threw his coat onto a nearby chair, and then plopped down onto the couch.

"Did we really just spend until 4:30 P.M. talking about movies?" Barry laughed, and then took out his phone when it buzzed for the eleventh time that day.

"I guess. Do you want to watch a movie? I can make some popcorn?"

"Yeah that sounds great." Barry replied.

Iris blushed as she headed into the kitchen, and Barry read his newly received text.

 _It's Penny. I couldn't stop thinking about that adorable face of yours and was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me tomorrow? XD_

Barry smiled.

 _Sounds great. Text me your address and I can pick you up around 6?_

 _Can't wait_ Penny replied.

Barry set his phone down on the coffee table, as Iris plopped down beside him with a large bowl of popcorn.

"Who were you texting?" She asked

"That Penny girl from Jitters. She wants to have dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh. Okay."

"What did you have in mind for movie?"

"I just read _Fault In Our Stars_. I've been meaning to watch the movie. Does that sound okay?"

"You haven't seen the movie yet!?" Barry teased.

Iris laughed and then nuzzled against him while he rented the movie on Amazon, and hit play.

 **2 MONTHS AGO**

" _You're doing great, Bear. Just a few more steps." Caitlin encouraged._

 _It had been a week since Barry woke up, and he still hadn't mastered walking yet. This was his first time doing it without the assistance of Iris or Joe, though he was still using crutches._

" _Man, if you're this shaky when walking, imagine how bad you're going to be when running." Cisco joked and then received a firm slap on the shoulder from Iris._

" _Not funny, Cisco." She glared._

 _Barry smiled as he took his last step to reach Joe's arms._

 _CRASH_

" _Oh boy. So close." Joe couldn't help but let out a giggle as Barry reached out his hand for him to help him up._

" _Thanks…" Barry paused. "Joe?"_

 _Joe nodded his head and helped Barry to a chair. Iris walked over to him, and held his hand._

" _Should it be taking me this long to remember everyone's name? You've repeated them a thousand times already." Barry was cranky, he was hungry and tired._

" _It's normal, yes." Caitlin reassured him. "Parts of the Limbic System in your brain are still weak from when you were comatose, making it more difficult for you to retain new information."_

" _Huh?" Joe piped up. "English please."_

 _Caitlin smiled "It's just going to take him a little longer to remember everything."_

" _I do remember I'm a CSI!" He piped up, trying to find something positive._

" _Ooh! Does that mean you know what Alcohol Dehydrogenase is? It's been bugging me ever since I read it on that article Caitlin brought for you." Cisco chirped._

 _Barry stared blankly at a wall for a moment. "Isn't it to do with your body's enzymes or something.. I'm sorry. I'm still a little fuzzy. Caitlin?"_

" _No worries, Bear." Caitlin faced Cisco. "Alcohol Dehydrogenase is an enzyme in our body that breaks down alcohol. It is a detoxifier."_

" _I knew that!" Barry huffed and swiped a hand down his face._

" _It's okay Barry." Iris rubbed his back. "Why don't we take you to Jitters to get your energy level back up?"_

" _Didn't… didn't you say that to me at the CCPD?" Barry asked._

" _Yes. You remember?"_

 _Barry nodded his head. "What's Jitters?"_

 _Cisco's jaw dropped. "Oh man. It's like learning someone has never gone to Dutch Bros." He chuckled._

" _Cisco!" Iris snapped._

" _What?" He raised his hands in a defensive manner, and then assisted Barry into his wheelchair._

 **NOW**

It wasn't until a loud bang sounded from the television, that Iris realized she had fallen asleep in Barry's lap.

"Rise and shine." Barry chuckled, stroking his fingers through her hair.

Iris closed her eyes and took it in, before sitting up and then frowning.

"You ate all the popcorn?"

"You fell asleep during a movie I payed money for you to watch. We're even." Barry giggled.

"Which part are we at?"

"Hazel Grace just read the email from Van Houten." Barry replied.

"Okay. Has my dad come home from work yet?" Iris asked when she checked the time on her phone. He _should_ be home by now.

"Yeah, he stopped by for a couple minutes to change before he left for the store."

Iris nodded and then rested her head on Barry's shoulder, his warmth and comfort putting her back to sleep.

When Iris woke, she was laying on the couch with a blanket covering her, and daylight shone through the window. She looked around for Barry, and then spotted a note on the coffee table.

 _Gone to meet Penny for coffee. Be back in an hour or so._

 _\- Barry ;)_

" _Coffee's our thing."_ Iris mumbled to herself while stumbling off the couch and picking up her phone to dial Barry. It rang a couple times before he answered.

" _Hey, Iris. What's up?"_ Barry's cheerful voice came through the speaker, and giggles from Penny could also be heard.

" _Nothing much. I found your note. How long ago did you write it?"_

" _Uh, about two hours ago? I know I said I would only be one, but Penny and I got caught up in talking. Did you need something?"_

Iris sighed. " _No. Bye Barry."_ Before Barry could say anything else, she dropped her phone on the floor and headed upstairs to take a shower. _Why couldn't there be a meta that he has to take care of?_ Iris thought.

"Okay, so where did you plan on taking me for dinner?" Penny asked, taking both of Barry's hands and holding them on the table.

"I was thinking that place down by River Street. I think it was called Milly's Diner or something. It seems really good."

"Sounds great." Penny smiled and stared into Barry's eyes. "I actually have to go in about five minutes. Shall we say our goodbyes now?"

Barry nodded and hey stood up from their seats, giving each other a hug as they headed out the door.

When Barry walked into the house, Iris was sitting on the couch munching on a bowl of chips and crackers.

"Hey, Iris." Barry said as he took off his Converse and set them by the door.

Joe walked out of the kitchen at the sound of his son's voice. "Oh hey, Bear. I haven't seen you since yesterday evening. Where you've been?"

"He went on a date." Iris mumbled with a tone that Joe knew as jealousy. Barry looked at her confused and then addressed his dad.

"I met a girl yesterday at Jitters. We went out for coffee today."

"Finally moving on from Patty? What's her name?"

"Penny."

"Well, I need to get to work, as do you."

"I bet in the time it takes you to drive, I will have already gotten dressed and be at the precinct." Barry teased and Joe walked out the door.

"Hey, Barry, do you want to come with me to go see The Martian? It comes out in theaters today." Iris wiped the crumbs off her clothes and stood up.

Barry gave Iris a hug good morning. "Oh. I can't. I'm taking Penny out for dinner. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." Iris forced a smile. "You really should get ready for work."

"Mmhm. Well, bye." Barry sped up the stairs and within a few seconds was out the door.

 **So this is going to get dark.. FAST! Enjoy Iris' pain before it turns into physical pain for Barry.**

 **So long!**

 **\- Slickest Dino XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Barry knocked on Penny's door. He was dressed in a black blazer with a dark blue button up shirt.

"Just a minute!" Penny yelled from behind the door, a couple thumps could be heard before she opened it. "Heels are _killer_ to get on! She joked. "Oooh. You look nice."

Barry smiled. "That dress is stunning on you." He blushed and then held out his hand for her to take it. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Penny chuckled and then headed for the car Barry came in. Barry was grateful Caitlin allowed him to borrow it, renting one would be a lot to explain.

Iris paced back and forth in her room. She was pissed at herself that she never worked to get Barry to remember their feelings for one another.

Her thought was interrupted by a faint knocking on her door.

"Iris?" Joe whispered and she let him in. "I know this is hard for you, but you can't go snobbing off towards Barry and this girl. It's your fault you didn't tell him. Don't ruin this for Barry." Joe wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sure everything is going to work out."

Iris let her tears fall freely, no use trying to stop them. "What if it doesn't?"

"I once told Barry that if the universe wants to make something happen, or put two people together, it will." Joe gave her a small smile and patted her leg.

"When did you tell him that?" Iris asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"When he was crying over the fact that he lost you to Eddie. He was crazy about you."

Iris let out a small sigh. " _Was."_

"Come on, let's go grab dinner."

 **2 MONTHS AGO**

" _Okay. I think I got this." Barry took in a deep breath. "And I don't have to do it in any particular order?"_

 _Caitlin nodded her head. "We're just testing your memory on it."_

" _Okay. Hydrogen, Carbon, Beryllium, Helium, Lithium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sodium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Sulfur…." Barry paused when he saw Cisco walk in. "Hey, Cisco!"_

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Seeing how many elements on the periodic table he can remember." Iris smiled. "He's doing good."_

" _Can you quiz me on you guys?" Barry asked with a cheeky grin._

" _Sounds like fun." Cisco said. "What do I do in Team Flash?"_

" _You're an engineer?"_

" _And."_

" _Uh. My friend?"_

 _Cisco crossed his arms and laughed. "That's all you got?"_

 _Barry shrugged. "Sorry."_

 **NOW**

"Wow! You were right! That was delicious What made you think of coming here?" Penny asked, wiping her mouth from the barbecue sauce.

"You've got some on your nose." Barry laughed and wiped it off for her. "I don't know really. I guess I just had a good feeling about it." They smiled at each other before the waitress set the bill on the table. "I'll take care of this, while you go wash your face. You still have it all over your cheeks." He giggled.

"Yeah. I'll be right back."

Barry placed two twenties in the folder, and gathered his coat and her purse before she came out of the bathroom.

"Sparkling clean." Barry joked handing Penny her bag as they walked out the door.

It was a ten minute drive back to Penny's house, and by the time they arrived it was nearing 11:00.

"Tonight was great." Barry smiled as he walked her up to the door. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Or.." Penny smiled and grabbed the collar of Barry's shirt, pulling him into a kiss. She slowly opened the door, all the while never breaking their lock. Barry kicked the door closed with his foot and Penny backed him up into the wall.

Barry started to blush. He was never good at being passionate.

"I… uh.." Barry stuttered in between kisses.

"Shhh." Penny's voice was soothing as she wrapped her arms around his neck, plunging further into his touch.

That's when a sharp pain radiated Barry's neck and all throughout his body, suddenly feeling very cold. That was the last thing he remembered before the ground met up with him and everything went black.

"Let's go somewhere special, Flash."


	4. Chapter 4

Caitlin continued to gaze down at her watch, pacing back and forth in the cortex.

"Why is he always late?" She whined.

"Yeah.. He isn't picking up his phone either." Cisco set his cell down on the table and glanced up at Caitlin, a large grin stretching across his face.

"What's so funny?"

"I think someone got lucky last night.." Cisco, not being able to contain himself, burst out laughing. "He had that date, didn't he?"

"Oh boy." Caitlin ran her fingers through her hair. "There could be a meta attack at any moment and he's off kissing some girl?"

"Oh come on, Cait. Cut him some slack." Cisco threw his feet up on his desk, and cracked open a soda. "Why are you so uptight about this?"

"It's not really about Barry, I just feel bad for Iris." Caitlin sat down in a chair next to Cisco.

"Speak of the devil." Cisco said, picking up his phone and answering the call.

" _Hey. We were just talking about you."_ Cisco clicked the speaker phone so Caitlin could hear as well.

" _Hopefully all good things. Is Barry there with you? I figured he'd be at the house but he isn't."_

Cisco started to laugh again, but took a deep breath and held it in. " _No. He's still out with that girl. Most likely stayed the night, if you know what I mea…"_

" _Yes! Yes! I know what you mean don't continue please."_

" _Sorry, Iris. This must be hard for you."_ Caitlin spoke sadly.

" _I'm okay. I have to get to work. Bye guys."_

Caitlin shot Cisco a glare, making him raise his hands in a defensive manner. "What!?"

"A little sensitivity next time." Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Boys."

Barry's head was ringing. He was cold and confused. When he finally came to, it took him a moment to process where he was.

The walls were metal and rusted over, a stench of oil drifted in the air. The place was immense, there weren't any windows to give him an estimate of what time it was. The only light source was a pile of trash set on fire.

" _A warehouse?"_ Barry mumbled.

Next he examined what was restraining him. Two long chains cuffed around his wrists, hung him from the ceiling. Then instinct kicked in. Barry attempted phasing out from them, but something was preventing him from using his speed. Instead he only chafed his wrists, causing warm blood to trickle down his arm.

Barry let out a squeal of pain. _Bad move._

"Ah. I see you've finally woken up." A woman's voice echoed in the shadows.

Barry was still dizzy, still hazy on the events that lead him to be hanging from chains in a cold warehouse.

The woman slowly became more visible as she approached him, a metal object in her hands.

"I'd have to say, you aren't a bad kisser."

A chill ran down Barry's spine, and it wasn't because of the draft. "Penny?" Events leading up to now, started to flood back to Barry.

"You know, I spent two years researching The Flash. Watching everywhere he went, learning who he was." Penny tipped his chin, making eye contact that Barry immediately broke.

"I don't know what you're talking about." His throat was dry and his voice was raspy.

"Oh don't play stupid with me, Barry. That will just make me more upset, making _this_ more painful." Penny lifted up the metal object in her hand, and it was clear now that it was a knife.

"Why are.." Barry coughed. "Why are you doing this?"

"When your little particle accelerator went off, you got special powers." Penny slid the tip of the knife up Barry's cheek. "I was in my house, watching TV with my dad, when a wave of energy passed through my livingroom, sending us flying across the room. When I came to, my dad was lying next to me - dead. So now you're going to pay for that, but first, I need a witness." Penny left the room.

Barry hung his head and let the darkness envelope him.

The thumps of the approaching footsteps are what let Barry know Penny had returned, but there was something else, _someone else_. An extra set of footsteps. Barry shot his head up, immediately tears blurred his vision.

"NO!"

Duct Tape covered their mouth, and their head bobbed up and down. Blood trickled down their forehead and it was clear they were barely conscious.

Penny sat her down in a chair in front of Barry, and used a rope to tie her hands and torso to the chair.

"Now, Barry. Here's how my little game works. There are two types of torture, there's physical torture, and there's mental torture. Were going to start with your head." Penny snapped her fingers and another figure came out dragging the body of another known face.

"Stop! Please!" Barry screamed, ripping at his chains. "I'll do whatever you want! You don't need them! Please!"

"We have our two subjects, pick one."

"For what?" Barry growled through clenched teeth.

"So nice of you to ask. One of them is going to be subject to a little test."

"And the other?"

"You'll see."

"No." Barry snapped. His voice trembling as tears left his eyes.

"I didn't say you had a choice. Pick one, or I'll kill _her_." Penny grabbed the female's hair, ripping it back to expose her neck, and then pressing the cool blade against her skin.

"Stop! Okay!"

"Good. Once they wake up, I'll expect a decision." Penny left the room.

Barry went limp. Hanging his head and crying so loud it was amazing no one could hear him.

 **Oh boy. Here we go...**


	5. Chapter 5

Iris let out a loud groan, fitting for the large gash above her eyebrow.

Barry lifted his head and saw her fidgeting in her chair, reminding him that he had to choose between the two, but for what?

"Iris. Hey, Iris. It's me." Barry whispered, trying not to draw Penny's attention and letting her know that Iris was awake.

Iris let out another groan before lifting her head, horror washed over her. Barry was hanging in front of her, blood caked on his skin, she herself was tied to a chair. Iris turned to her left to face the other person in the chair next to her.

 _Cisco._

Finally being able to process what was going on, Iris let out a scream, panic shaking every bone in her body.

"Barry!"

"Shh. I'm okay. Are you?" Barry's voice was urgent, but surprisingly calm, this helped Iris relax.

"You're cuffed to rusted chains, your feet are barely touching the ground, how could you possibly be okay?!"

"I don't need you worrying about me. I just need to know that you're okay."

"Barr-"

"Iris. Just answer me."

"Yes." Iris couldn't hold in her tears. She gasped for air, causing herself to hyperventilate again. Just as she did the day Barry and her were in the precinct. The day that everything went to Hell.

"Hey. You need to take in a deep breath, okay? Can you see if you can wake Cisco?" Even from a few feet away, Barry still managed to comfort her. It was his voice, his soothing words.

Iris nodded. "Cisco, can you hear me? You need to wake up." There wasn't much Iris could do, considering she had no way of moving, but it worked.

Cisco stirred in his seat, mimicking the loud groan that Iris had recently let out.

"Hey buddy." Barry smiled, attempting to stay strong, mainly for Iris' benefit.

"Wha.. Where?" he slurred.

"Cisco, it's going to be okay, I..." Barry was cut off.

"Not for long." Penny's voice echoed from the shadows. "I'm hoping you've made your choice, Barry."

Iris' eyes grew wide at the sight of the fear that melted on Barry's face. "What is she talking about? What choice?"

"It doesn't matter. Unless you tell me exactly what you're planning on doing with them, I'm not choosing _anything_."

Iris had finally gotten used to the idea of Barry taking down metas that disrupted the streets, but she had never seen this side of him. The angry side, the determination that flickered in his eyes, the side that showed no fear.

"Pick one, or I'll _kill_ one!" Penny spat, pulling the knife from her belt.

Barry screamed once more. "Pick one for what!?" It was shredding him up.

Cisco lifted his head. "Choose me." Apparently he'd been conscious enough to understand what was happening.

"Cisco. No. You don't know what she's going to do! I can't let you take that risk!"

"It's better than letting one of us die. And it's better than letting a girl go through it. No offense but.." Cisco attempted a light-hearted smirk and Iris smiled back. "Choose me."

Barry lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut, hot tears hitting the floor.

"Have we made a decision?" Penny questioned, snapping her fingers, and the same burly man came out with a black bag.

Barry slowly nodded. "You hurt him and I'll kill you."

"Oh, I don't plan on touching _him_ at all." Penny pointed at Iris. "Do it."

"No! No! You son of bitch! I swear to God if you touch her.."

"You'll what?" Penny interjected. "You can't do anything but go crazy thinking of the things I'm going to do to her."

Iris burst into tears as the man untied her, and dragged her into another room.

Barry was screaming Iris' name so much that it was a miracle that his voice lasted as long as it did before it gave out, and he shook with tears.

"Barry? You with me? Iris is strong, she'll be okay." Cisco tried to reassure him.

Barry shook his head rapidly. "This.. this is what she wanted. She said she was going to torture me mentally, and it worked, and now Iris is in that room because of me."

"This isn't your fault. The blame is on the people doing this to us. She threatened our lives! You did the right thing, Bear."

Barry nodded, and hung his head. His shoulders trembled, and fresh blood dripped down his arms from the amount of struggling he was doing.

 **We're just warming up.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **\- Slickest Dino XD**


	6. Chapter 6

Barry cried until he was drained of any and all energy he had left. His shoulders trembled, and a puddle of tears had formed by his feet.

"Hey. Barry, you need to stay strong alright?" Cisco pleaded. He was ready to cry himself but it wasn't because of their situation. It was the horror of watching his best friend - his brother - more broken than he's ever seen him. "Look at me." Cisco softly spoke, keeping a comforting tone.

Barry slowly lifted his head. His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were soaked with tears.

"You need to stay strong." Cisco repeated. "For Iris. You and I have been in plenty of these situations so we can - sort of - handle it, but Iris needs her Barry. She needs something strong to lean on." Cisco locked eyes with Barry, who's breathing finally steadied. "Can you do that?"

Barry nodded. "What do you think they're doing to her?" His voice cracked, but he kept himself stable.

"I don't know." It was Cisco's turn to lower his head.

"I can't lose her, Cisco." Barry whispered.

Cisco felt unbelievable pain for Barry right now, but he couldn't reassure him that Iris was going to be okay, because he didn't know. "Let's change the subject. Try to think about something else right now, okay?"

Barry took in a deep breath. "Alright. Why are you and Caitlin keeping secrets from me?" Cisco was a little surprised at Barry's rude tone, but he had a right to be cranky right now. Then it hit Cisco what he'd asked, and his face went flush.

"What?"

"I'm not stupid, Cisco. I just thought we were close enough to trust each other with secrets, and you'd eventually tell me, instead of me trying to pry it out of you. What's going on?"

"I.. It isn't like that, Barry. It's just not.." Cisco paused considering whether or not to continue.

"I forgot something didn't I?" Barry said sadly.

"Uh. Well…"

"Something bad that you don't want me to remember?" Barry paused. "And what does it have to do with Iris?"

"No. Not bad." Cisco responded.

"Did I hurt her?"

"Okay. Slow down. No more questions. Yes, you forgot something. No it wasn't bad, but it isn't our place to tell you."

Barry furrowed his eyebrows. "Who's place is it?"

Cisco opened his mouth, but then Penny could be heard walking towards them and they both shut up.

"Hello boys. Nice chat?" Penny rested her hand on a black bag, and Cisco stared at it with fear.

"What did you do to her!?" Barry growled, ripping at his chains.

"She'll be fine." She snapped back.

Cisco's gaze shifted to Penny's other hand which was gripping a small object. It was concealed by the shadows and he couldn't make out what it was.

"So, Flash. I'll make a deal with you. You come with me, and I'll return Iris to her chair."

A tear trickled down Barry's cheek, and Cisco could tell he was considering it.

"Give me your word." Barry spat through his clenched teeth.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Promise."

"Barry! Don't please! We need you!"

"Cisco. I'll be okay. You told me Iris needed me to be strong. I'm being strong." Barry gave Cisco a soft smile and then turned to address Penny. "Okay."

"Good." A wide grin stretched across her face. She uncuffed Barry and he dropped to the floor, rubbing his wrists from the pain.

Suddenly, Cisco could make out what the small object was in Penny's hand, as she lifted it and thrusted it into Barry's neck.

 _A syringe._

Barry let out a blood-curdling scream and fell. It took Cisco a moment to realize he was also screaming.

Penny gave a depraved smile as she turned and walked away, leaving Barry on the ground. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

A door slammed open and Iris was brought back to her chair. Not one new scratch was on her, but she was unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

Barry stayed limp on the ground. He hadn't moved since Penny stabbed him with the syringe. Iris however, was beginning to stir.

"Iris?" Cisco whispered.

"Uhhh. This is going to be one hell of a hangover." She moaned and rubbed her temple.

"What did they do to you?"

Iris stared blankly for a moment. "Nothing." The surprise in Iris' tone matched the look on Cisco's face.

"Nothing?"

Iris nodded, and then looked around. For the first time noticing the body that was curled in front of her.

"Oh God. Barry! What happened to him?"

Cisco shook his head. "I don't really know. Penny injected him with something. He.." Cisco choked. "He did it for you. Penny said that if Barry came with her she would let you out, and then she plunged the syringe into the back of his neck and he fell limp."

Iris started to cry. "Why does he have to care about me so damn much!"

"Because he's Barry. That's what he does." A tear streaked down Cisco's cheek. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

Sweat had started to glisten on Barry's forehead. His fingers would occasionally twitch, and his eyelids flickered.

"If we wake him up, do you think he could get us out?" Iris suggested.

"Not to be pessimistic or anything, but if Penny was cocky enough to leave him on the floor unchained, then I don't think he's going to be waking up anytime soon." Cisco winced.

"Barry!" Iris yelled, as though she didn't hear what Cisco had just stated. "Come on Bear! Wake up!"

"Iris. Shh." Cisco pointed at the silhouette that exited the faraway door. "Penny."

"You son of a bitch!" Iris screamed as Penny approached.

"Tough talk for someone who is bound to a chair." Penny kneeled down beside Barry. "He sure is a cutie, isn't he?"

"You stay away from him!" Iris growled.

"Oh. I see. Does someone have a little crush on Flashie?" Penny chuckled and ran a finger down his cheek.

"Stop it!" She screamed.

Penny leaned down and nibbled on Barry's ear, continuing to stare at Iris. "You know, before I unfortunately had to drug him, we did a lot of kissing." Penny could tell it was getting to Iris, and Cisco stared at her speechless, his jaw dropped as far as it could manage.

Iris winced and looked away.

"What's the matter?" Penny teased as Iris started to cry.

"Stop. Please. Stop." Her voice cracked.

Penny gave Iris an ominous smile, and then looked back at Barry. "So, Barry, this is going to hurt a little, but it's necessary."

Cisco's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Penny locked eyes with Cisco. "When I was working as a waitress down in Starling City, a man collapsed and fell unconscious on the floor. I ran over to him and not knowing what to do, I hit him. We managed to wake him by inflicting pain." Iris instantly caught on as to what Penny was hinting at, but before she could say anything to try and stop her, Penny stood up and stomped down on Barry's side.

A spine-chilling crack echoed through Cisco and Iris' ears, and Cisco could feel the bile rising in his throat.

Barry's eyes shot open, and he let out a gasp and then a scream. He buckled over, gripping his side.

"Rise and shine." Penny snickered. "Get up." She grabbed the collar of Barry shirt, and pulled him to his feet.

"Barry!" Iris screamed.

Barry locked eyes with her, and a smiled instantly melted on his face. "You're okay." He coughed and then grabbed his side again, nearly buckling over.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm okay."

"Cisco?" Barry asked nodding at him.

"I'm fine man. I didn't just get my ribs stomped on."

It was alarming watching Barry tremble so violently, but he seemed to keep it together.

"Let's go, Flash."

"Wait!" Cisco yelled out. "What did you inject him with?"

Penny paused as though she was deciding whether or not to answer. "Something that will prove to be very effective in the near future."

And then they were gone. Disappeared into the shadows. Iris let out a shriek and began to bawl again, and Cisco just stared, horror rushing through every vein in his body.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the wait. I was taking a break from writing.**

Barry didn't even realize he had fallen unconscious, from either the drug or the pain, until he woke on the cold metal floor of a different room. Tingles shot down his spine. He couldn't move.

 **3 HOURS PRIOR**

Caitlin burst into the CCPD screaming out for Joe's name.

"Joe! Joe! I need Joe!"

"Woah, woah, woah. Dr. Snow, what's the matter?" Singh placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I need Joe. Now." The urgency that was written all over her face, told Singh not to ask any questions, but to immediately guide her up to Barry's lab.

"Caitlin, hey. Have you seen Barry? He hasn't come in for..

"Shut up!" Caitlin snapped and Joe raised his hands in a defensive manner.

"What's wrong?"

"Cis… Cisco.. and... and Iris.. and possibly even Barry." Caitlin sputtered. "Cisco and I met up with Caitlin at Jitters to discuss why Barry was so late and then him and Iris went out into the parking lot to grab something from Iris' car and then.. and then five people dressed in all black and ski masks.. just… it just happened!"

"Wha? You're telling me that five random guys took Cisco and my daughter? Did you get the license plate?" Joe remained scary composed, but the slight twitch of his face showed that he was terrified.

"No. No I'm sorry. Barry isn't picking up his cell, and I haven't seen him since last night when he borrowed my car for his date. I think someone might be targeting STAR Labs."

"I need to notify Singh. We need an APB and multiple units out looking for them. Is there a way we can track them at STAR Labs?"

Caitlin nodded her head, and Joe raced out the door.

 **NOW**

He could hardly move his legs. They felt stiff, numb, tingly.

"Ahh. I see the drug is starting to take effect." Penny entered the room, and walked over to a thermostat.

"What.. did.. you do?" Barry's voice was shaky. Whatever she'd injected him with, it was playing a number on his body.

"Just making it a fact that you won't be escaping anytime soon." Penny turned the knob on the thermostat down. "You're sweating a lot. Why don't we cool things down a bit?"

 **1 MONTH AGO**

" _Okay. I'm gonna do it! No. No. I can't. What if it ruins everything between us?" Iris paced back and forth in the cortex. Her heart was beating so fast, it was a wonder why it hadn't exploded already._

" _When Barry told you how he felt, it didn't change anything between you two. Sure, it was a little awkward for a day or so, but why wouldn't it be?" Caitlin attempted to reassure Iris._

" _And who knows, it might jog his memory." Cisco added._

 _Iris nodded, took in a deep breath and then spoke. "Okay. I'll do it." She smiled and ran out of the room._

 _When Iris entered her dad's house, she immediately noticed two things. One, multiple items were thrown across the room, and two, Barry was curled up on the couch crying._

" _Barry? Barry what's wrong?" Being mindful to avoid the knocked over table, Iris made her way over to the couch and sat down beside Barry. His hood was pulled over his face, and his knees were pulled under the shirt._

" _Do.. you think I'll ever remember everything?" He gazed up at Iris._

" _Bear, these things take time. What happened?"_

" _It's stupid." He swiped a hand down his face and straightened himself out. "Joe told me that there was a voting for employee of the year at work."_

" _Okay?"_

" _Joe told me to wear my lucky sweater. He said I deserved to win. Iris, I don't remember which stupid sweater is lucky, and why the hell it's lucky to me." Barry chucked a used tissue at the ground. "Memory loss sucks."_

" _Okay, then why don't I remind you. First of all, you're wearing it right now." Iris chuckled. "Barry, that sweater is lucky to you because you said you were wearing one that looked just like that when we first met." She smiled and swiped the hood off his head._

" _Makes sense. Meeting you was one of the best moments of my life."_

" _Same. I'd say Christmas of 2011 was a close second for me."_

" _Oh come on. We got so drunk."_

" _Yeah. Do you remember what happened because of how drunk we were?"_

 _Barry blushed. "Joe said I kissed you."_

 _Iris laughed. "Sure did."_

 _Barry gave her a tight hug. "You're my best friend, you know that?"_

" _Yeah. Best_ friend." _A tear slipped down Iris' cheek._

 **NOW**

"I was so close."

"Huh?" Cisco furrowed his eyebrows.

"With Barry. He and I spent almost an entire day talking to each other about when we first met, and our favorite memories of one another. He didn't remember everything so I would give him a detailed story, and he would fill in the rest when it came back to him."

"Was that the same day you went to go tell Barry how you felt, and then never came back to tell Caitlin and me the details?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"This whole thing is like what Barry was going through with you. Did he ever tell you what happened with you two before he altered the timeline?"

"No. Just that a tsunami was headed for the city."

"Oh boy. Basically, you both declared your love for each other, then he revealed he was the Flash and then sped off to go stop the tsunami." Cisco chuckled. "Then he accidentally went back in time, and you didn't remember a thing. That was why Caitlin lied and said Barry was suffering from lightning psychosis, to save him from the embarrassment of you rejecting him."

"Don't remind me. I felt unbelievably bad for doing that. Do you have anyone in your life that has a special place in your heart?"

Cisco blushed. "No.."

"Cisco! Spill!"

"It doesn't matter. It would ruin our friendship if she ever knew."

Iris' jaw dropped. "Oh. my. God. You have it in for Cai.."

"Ahh! Stop!" Cisco went lobster red. "It's just a little crush. It's not like I'm swooning over her like you are with Barry."

"Wow! Quick to defend yourself. Someone has a crush on Dr. Snow."

An embarrassed smile stretched across Cisco's face. "Shut up."

 **4 DAYS AGO**

" _Okay, Barry. We have some good news." Caitlin smiled and pulled him over to his brain scan. "You are completely recovered."_

 _Barry's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's great!" He pulled her close into a hug. "That's great."_

" _Shall we tell the others?"_

" _Duh!" Barry laughed and sped out the door with Caitlin, immediately going to Joe's house._

" _Hey, Bear." Iris smiled and stood up from the couch to give him a hug. "What's up?"_

" _I am completely recovered!" Though Barry felt like it was the best news on the planet, Caitlin could tell the look on Iris' face was sadness._

" _That's amazing, Barry." Iris forced a smile on her face. "I'm.. just gonna go upstairs for a little bit, okay? My dad is going to be home in a few minutes."_

" _Did I say something wrong?" Barry frowned at Caitlin._

" _No. Not at all. She's just having a tough time coming to terms with some things. I'm going to go check up on her. You wait for Joe." Caitlin jogged up the stairs and knocked on Iris' door before entering._

" _Hey, Caitlin." Iris' eyes blurred with tears. She was sitting against her bed with her knees pulled to her chest._

" _Iris. Just because he's fully recovered doesn't mean he can't still remember things." Caitlin sat down beside her and rubbed her back. "I know this has been hard for you, but there is no way that Barry Allen could ever permanently forget how he feels about you. That just doesn't happen when you're madly in love with someone." Caitlin gave her a reassuring smile, and stood up. "Come on, I think Barry would like it if his best friend was there to celebrate with him." She stretched out a hand to help Iris off the floor._

 _Iris gave her a soft smile and then grabbed her hand. "Thanks."_

 **So I guess this was Flashback Chapter. XD**


	9. Chapter 9

The searing pain was enough to rip someone away from consciousness, and yet somehow, Barry was still awake. He couldn't decide whether it was the intense cold that had seeped through to his bone and caused his joints to lock, or the constant kicks in his gut he got anytime Penny entered the room to inject him with a new dose of whatever it was that numbed his legs. Still, Barry was awake. He tried desperately to slip into the peaceful bliss that was unconsciousness, but something was keeping him from doing so. Eventually, Penny's regular beatings didn't even make him twitch, though his eyes were open, Barry was definitely unresponsive now. Frost started to develop on his eyelashes, and his lips were now a pale blue. His skin was paper white. Barry was still. _Dead still._

Penny didn't seem to think it was necessary to visit Iris and Cisco. After all, they were just an accessory to use against Barry when she was playing with his mind, but now Barry wasn't giving her the response she wanted, and Penny needed to step up her game.

The loud clicking of her heels against the concrete, instantly woke Cisco and Iris, who had managed to lull to sleep.

"Rise and shine." Penny said mischievously.

Cisco and Iris lifted their heads, but not enough to lock eyes with Penny. She knelt down in the middle of them, and spoke.

"How are you holding up?" Penny sarcastically asked with a depraved smile. It was obvious that she was just trying to get under their skin, and she had no regards for their well-being. "Probably a lot better than Barry."

Iris snapped her head up. Fire in her eyes. "Don't you _dare_ say his name you witch!"

Penny raised her hands in a defensive manner. "Hey. I'm just being truthful."

"What did you do to him?" Iris snarled, clenching her fists.

"I'll show you."

"Wait. What?" Cisco piped up. He was originally trying to keep a low head, but he couldn't ignore what Penny just said.

"You come with me, and I'll bring you to Barry." Penny crossed her arms, and locked eyes with Iris.

"How stupid would someone have to be to follow a psychopath?" Cisco snapped.

"Okay." Iris let the words slip off her tongue before she knew they were there. An impulsive decision, but if it meant seeing Barry, she would gladly take the risk.

"Iris!" Cisco shrieked. "What the hell are you doing?"

"She made a choice. Oh the things you do for love." Penny patted Iris's cheek, and Iris snapped her head away.

"I don't love him." She mumbled.

"What's your angle here? If Iris goes with you, I need to be sure that she goes unharmed." Cisco asked, worry written all over his face.

"Oh believe me, I have no intention of touching Iris." A mischievous glint in Penny's eye worried Iris.

"Why? Why are you bringing me to him? Why _aren't_ you going to hurt me?"

"You'll see."

Iris nodded. Something she never thought she would do with Penny. Panic was definitely a strong emotion she was feeling, but if she was going to see Barry, it wouldn't matter if her legs were broken.

Penny cautiously untied Iris, and immediately slapped a pair of handcuffs on her.

"Try anything, and I'll kill him." Penny whispered, and pushed her towards the dark metal door.

Iris turned her head to give Cisco a reassuring nod. Something she wasn't sure if she managed to pull off or not.

Penny opened the large iron door, a blast of frigid air instantly burned Iris's cheeks. She led her to the nearest wall, and plopped Iris down on the floor, almost immediately securing her with a chain.

"Where's Barry!?" Iris snarled, wincing at how tight Penny pulled the chains.

"I'll leave you alone for a moment." And Penny was gone, locking the door behind her.

Iris's question was answered after scanning the room. The still body was hard to see from the cold fog that limited her field of vision, but it was clear now, that the body was Barry's.

Iris' breath hitched in her throat, and warm tears pricked at her eyes.

"Barry?" She squeaked, attempting to get closer to him. "Barry! Say something, please! Get up!"

Another observation of Iris's surroundings was made, when her eyes flickered off of Barry for a second. Dark, frozen liquid surrounded him. _Blood._ An immense amount of blood. Too much.

Barry couldn't tell whether the door was opening or closing, he recognized the small female voice was one that he knew yet he couldn't place it. He stayed still. Everything by now pretty much looked like static, it swirled in confusing directions. It was easier to stay still. Motionless. Barry tried to place a name to the distant screams he could hear from behind. Then it struck him. Iris.

"Barry? Come on Barry. Get up!" Iris' voice cracked, and the tears that threatened to fall just moments ago, slipped down her cheeks freely. "Barry?" She whispered again.

That's when she heard it, the faint groan that told Iris he wasn't dead. The faint groan that soon turned into more, Barry turned on his back to face her. A loud crunch could be heard where his body rolled on the frozen blood.

"I..ris?" Barry squeaked, his voice raspy from the cold.

"Yes! Yes, it's me Barry."

"Wha..t are you doing.. here?" He slurred, and then coughed from the dry air.

"Penny said I could come see you."

With as much strength as he could muster up, Barry shook his head, fear scored on his face. "No."

Iris' eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"No. You.. you need to go!"

"Barry, you're scaring me!"

Iris could tell from the fear that overwhelmed his voice, that Barry was scared, but when he started to shuffle to his knees, and then try to get to his feet, was what really scared her. His legs were like noodles, buckling under him with no control.

"Penny.. did something to my.. legs." Barry grunted.

"Barry. Oh my God!" At the moment, she couldn't tell whether that was from seeing the amount of bruises and cuts he had, or actually witnessing her nearly dead friend attempting to crawl over to her.

Somehow he managed, and almost immediately after bridging the gap between them, he fell on his side.

"She's going to use you." Barry choked, reaching out to touch her hand. It was a small thing he would do when he was nervous, or when he needed comfort, and it always warmed Iris' heart. Barry attempted to phase the chains off Iris, but his hand instead sputtered and he let it fall to the cold metal ground.

"Barry. Come here." Iris wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him close. Barry rested his head in her lap, and she stroked her cold fingers through his hair. "There is no way in Hell that I am ever leaving your side."

Barry nodded and tightened his grip around Iris' waist, like a child seeking comfort from it's mother.

"Don't let go." Barry whispered, and finally, _finally,_ he closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.


	10. Chapter 10

Joe and Caitlin bolted into STAR Labs. Caitlin immediately hopped into one of the chairs and pulled up the tracker in Barry's suit.

"Uh, Cait?" Joe piped up nervously. Caitlin gazed up from the screen, and Joe pointed at the red suit in the mannequin, just feet away from them. "He's not wearing it, remember?"

"Dammit!" Caitlin pounded a fist down on the desk.

"Okay. Deep breaths." Joe took a seat by Caitlin, and once she seemed to calm down a bit, he continued. "I have an idea."

Caitlin nodded and met Joe's eyes.

"Do you know where Barry took Penny for their date last night?"

She sat there for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows. "Um, it starts with an M. Miller's diner? Mickey's?"

Joe snapped his fingers. "Milly's. That's right." He interjected. "Okay, pull up the security feed for…" Joe thought for a second. "Six-thirty would you say?"

"I'm not as proficient at this like Cisco is." The mention of his name made her wince.

"Caitlin." Joe said sternly.

"Yeah, I know." She returned her gaze to the screen, tapping away at the keys until eight video feeds popped up with different angles of the restaurant. It took a good minute or so before both Caitlin and Joe spotted Barry at a table with the blonde.

Caitlin gave a sad smile when she saw how happy he looked with this other girl that wasn't Iris.

"I need you to-" Joe started.

"...track their movements." She finished. "Here." Caitlin shoved her phone into Joe's hands after messing with the security feed some more with no luck.

His eyebrows furrowed, hinting that he didn't know what she wanted him to do with it.

Caitlin kept her focus on the screen and then spoke. "Call Felicity. I don't know how to hack into street feed, she'll have to walk me through it."

Joe nodded and swiped the phone's screen and then almost immediately after, shoved the phone in Caitlin's face for her to unlock it. Then he got straight away to scanning through her contacts, finding Felicity's, and then calling her.

He let out an annoyed huff when it went to voicemail, and then tried again. This time it rang two times before she answered.

" _Hey, Caitlin."_

" _Hey." Joe mumbled before turning it on speaker phone and placing it down on the desk._

" _Wow, you're voice has gotten deep." Felicity quipped, and a small snort could be heard._

" _No time for games Felicity, we need you." Caitlin piped up._

" _Everything okay?" Felicity asked, sensing the worry in Caitlin's tone._

" _No. How do you hack into street cameras?"_

" _Um, can't you ask Cisco?"_

" _Felicity!" Caitlin snapped, coming off a little harsher than she intended. It seemed to deliver the right message, and Felicity immediately came back sounding a lot more serious._

" _Okay, I need to know what for so I can be of more assistance."_

 _Joe swiped a hand down his face and sighed. "Long story short, Barry, Cisco and Iris were kidnapped and we need to find him. I figured looking at the security footage and following his last steps before he was taken would help us narrow down where they might be."_

" _Oh. Wow. Okay, uhh, Cait, you could try running a facial recognition scan instead of individually going through each video."_

" _Great. How do I do that?"_

" _Grab the manual I left you. It's steps are far easier to follow than anything I could ramble about."_

 _Caitlin slapped a hand to her face. "Duh. Alright Felicity, I really need to go."_

" _You better call me with updates. Stay safe."_

" _Thanks for the help. Bye."_

Caitlin spun around in her chair to look at Joe, with a slightly amused face.

"Where's the manual?"

"Caitlin? You didn't think to ask?" Joe snapped. "Well, call her back!"

"Right." Caitlin nodded dumbly before picking it up and redialing Felicity's number.

It scared Iris that Barry was unconscious for so long. The only reassurance she had that he wasn't dead, was the soothing rise of his chest, and his slow, _too slow,_ heartbeat. She did the best she could to keep him warm, but that became harder as she slowly got colder. They had been in this position for what felt like an hour now; Iris sat against the frosted metal wall, and Barry curled on the ground beside her, his head on her lap. Iris kept a strong arm wrapped around him.

Barry shuffled in his spot on the ground, letting out a weak whimper. It was the first time he moved since he fell unconscious on Iris chest. He looked even worse than before.

"Hey." Iris squeaked, her voice shivering from the cold. Barry lifted his chin to look at her, his gazed seemed fuzzy.

"Hi." Barry started coughing violently the second he let out just that one _simple_ word. It seemed like a lot of simple things were hard for him to do now. Like breathing.

Iris couldn't do anything but squeeze him tighter.

"S-sorry.." He gasped, reaching for her hand.

"Barry."

"I can't.." He coughed again, and then gasped for more air. Barry might as well have been dead with how bad his condition was. Maybe it was his powers that kept Barry above water for so long. In fact, it was definitely his powers. Iris hated to think about it, but any normal person would be dead by now. "I can't feel.. anythi.. I'm scared.. I.. I don't wanna die." A single tear rolled down Barry's cheek.

"I know." Iris whispered, sliding down the wall so she could nestle her head in his neck. Trying to use your body heat to keep someone warm was a little difficult when you probably have no body heat left, and the person you are trying to warm was way past hypothermia, but something brought comfort out of it, and that helped.

Barry didn't seem to move when Iris did, he just stayed there, very still.

"Just keep your eyes open for me, you understand. I can't lose you." Iris whispered.

"I'm just..so..tired." It was true, Barry's eyelids felt like lead weights, fatigue was definitely a common symptom when your body was shutting down.

"Just keep talking, alright?"

Barry nodded. He tightened his fisted grip on Iris hand.

"How do you think.." Barry stopped.

"Barry?"

His head lulled to the side, and his eyes closed.

"Hey. Hey, hey! Wake up!" Iris tapped his cheek and lifted his chin slightly to look at him. "Barry!"

Barry slowly opened his eyes, only managing to get them half way open before they got too heavy.

"Don't do that to me. We are going to get out of here. Just hang on." Iris ran her fingers through his hair, and smiled slightly. "Remember when we had that sleepover when you came home from college for Thanksgiving?"

Barry nodded, a smile creeping at his lips. "I said we were.. too old for sleepovers, but you insis..ted"

"I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you before you went back. I only had the weekend." Iris argued.

Barry let out a soft chuckle that came out as more of a raspy cough. "That was so.. awkward for me."

"Why?" Iris felt her heart flutter, could this mean...

"I can't really remember.. I just know it was." His words slurred.

Iris couldn't help but wince every time Barry attempted to take in a breath. It seemed that no air was actually going in and he was mainly just making raspy noises.

"I need to breathe for you." Iris' words came sudden, but Barry only nodded. He fully understood that if he kept breathing this badly, it wouldn't be long before he was unconscious from hypoxia, that was, if the old didn't shut down his system first.

She leaned down and pinched his nose, tilted his chin back and sealed her lips around his, giving him two quick puffs of air.

"I'm sorry." There was the signature Barry apology. The one that made no sense because there was nothing to apologize about.

Iris pulled away from his lips after giving him another two breaths.

"What?"

"Not exactly how I pictured our first kiss." Barry smiled.

Iris' cheeks went beet red. What was she supposed to say to that?

She couldn't help herself. "What did you picture it being like?"

"I'm too sure.." He trailed off, seeming to find the door to be very interesting, and then his eyes widened.

Iris turned around to see what he had been so spooked about.

"Wow. I leave you alone in here for an hour, and you're already making out."

"He needs air you ass!" Iris snapped, unconsciously pulling Barry into a protective grasp.

"Yeah, you ass!" Barry started chuckling, as though what he said was the funniest thing ever.

"Bear? You alright?"

"If everyone has an ass, does that mean we're all an ass?"

Penny crossed her arms and smirked. "Wow, I guess you can say he's pretty much messed up."

Barry whipped his head to face Iris, a large smile stretched across his pale face. "I feel floaty!" Barry giggled again, he sounded drunk.

"Oh my God." Iris gasped.


	11. Chapter 11

**OH MY GOODNESS! I am so so so sorry for not updating in so long! See, I sort of lost hope in this story, because I didn't know where to take it, and I felt like I was miserably failing with the writing. SO, I spent the longest time writing other stories, and when I came back to this one, I planned as much out as I could, and I'm ready to give it another shot. Reviews on how I am doing would be nice so I know if this is just a waste of time.**

"Okay, Joe, I found it. Here you can see Barry go into Penny's apartment, the door shuts, and about five minutes later she's dragging him out." Caitlin winced at the footage. "Now we just have to follow where she drove."

"Okay." Joe sighed, swiping a hand down his face. "This is progress."

Caitlin swirled around in her chair. "Do you think it would be a good idea to get the police involved?"

"I am the police."

Caitlin frowned. "I'm well aware. If you think about it, Barry isn't in his suit, so it's not like anything would be revealed, and I don't think we can do this alone, Joe."

"Cait, you know they are going to ask questions, and when questions are asked, things get messy. We can't risk giving away Cisco and Barry's identity."

"Will their identity matter when they're dead?" Caitlin snapped.

Joe clenched his jaw. "Okay. I will call in a unit. While I'm doing that, you need to track that license plate number, and find where they are."

Caitlin gave him a firm nod and turned around in her chair, and Joe exited the cortex.

"Alright, where are you keeping my friends, bitch." Caitlin muttered. She typed away on her keys, every so often glancing down at the manual Felicity supplied.

After a long, and stressful thirty minutes, Caitlin slammed a fist down on her desk. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Caitlin?" Joe stood up from his chair, and walked up next to her.

"I can't rack them any further than where she ditched the car."

"Alright, at least that's something. I'll go check it ou-"

The video that popped up on the screen caught Joe's attention immediately, and Caitlin could feel the nausea building in her stomach.

"Hello, STAR Labs…"

 **FORTY-FIVE MINUTES PRIOR**

"Barry!?" Iris squeaked, tipping his chin to make eye contact. Penny resided in the corner of the room, a sadistic smile on her face.

"I'm sleepy. I...want...it...o...be...ver." Barry slurred. Though he was looking straight into Iris' eyes, there was an unfocused, almost foggy, look to them that made Iris uneasy.

"I know, I know, Barry."

"Alright!" Penny declared throwing her hands up in the air, causing Iris to jump. Barry slumped back down to the ground, his sudden lapse of drunkenness apparently transient. "Let's take this to the next step, shall we?" Penny walked over to Barry, and slapped a pair of cuffs on him, then, unchained Iris, and did the same. One of her men came into the room, and threw Barry over his shoulder, and Penny took Iris by the arm. Both leading them out of the room.

The first thing that came to Iris' senses as she was pulled out of the hell hole, was the screaming, the sounds of repeated punches hitting skin.

And then she saw Cisco, and the man standing over him, beating him with a tire iron like he was some sort of animal.

"Cisco!" Iris screamed, earning a slap in the face and a _shut up_ from Penny. To Iris' surprise, they were forced back over to the chairs next to a barely conscious Cisco. She expected a torture chamber, but now that everyone was together, how could this possibly be worse than getting smacked in the face with a tire iron, or freezing to death in an iron chamber? Did she speak to soon?

Penny shoved Iris into a chair next Cisco, and tied her wrists to the arms, as they were before. The burly man, plopped the limp speedster onto the chair on the opposite side of him, making Cisco in the middle, Iris to the right of him, and Barry on the left. Two out of three of them, were slumped far down in their seat, holding onto consciousness by a thread.

"I'm going to go retrieve some equipment, don't get too comfy." Penny laughed, and exited the room, the two men following her.

The second Iris heard the sound of a door clicking shut, she spoke. "Cisco? Barry? Are you alright?" _Of course they weren't alright! Stupid question, Iris!_

Cisco groaned out in pain, and managed to bite back the urge to curse. "Ahhhh. Mother of all that is pure and holy!" He griped, and very carefully, as to not inflict more pain, Cisco lifted his head. His vision was blurred, but he was still able to make out the two body's next to him. One male, one female. Almost instantly, his face softened. "You're...alive!

Iris' face crumpled at the use of the word alive. She glanced over at Barry, and his limp form. "He's not going to be able to hold out much longer, Cisco. They froze him to the brink of death." She choked out. "I'm glad you're okay. They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?"

Iris observed Cisco's face. A deep bruise on his forehead, a split lip, and a large bloody gash above his eyebrow. His hair was sticky with drying blood, and he no-doubt had a concussion.

Cisco ignored Iris, however, and turned to face Barry.

"Hey, man? You with me? Barry?"

"Cis...c…" Barry mumbled, his head was dropped, obviously it took everything in him to just speak, let alone keep his head up.

"We're going to get out of here, okay, man? Caitlin is going to get you fixed up, so don't go dying on me just yet. I still need to watch the most recent Star Wars movie, and I would like to have my movie buddy. 'Kay?"

In Barry's head, he was screaming, asking if Cisco was okay, begging for his head to raise just enough so he could see if Iris was uninjured, but at the moment, it seemed as though his mind and body were against him. Just fighting to keep consciousness. Funny, an hour ago you were praying for release.

As always, the sound of heels clicking against the cool concrete of the warehouse floor told everyone to snap their lips shut.

Penny didn't make an obnoxious entrance, didn't make a snarky comment towards Barry's condition, or how Iris treated it. Instead, she silently walked over to them, and placed down a tripod with a camera, in front of the trio.

"What is that for?" Cisco gritted.

"You want to say your goodbyes to your family, don't you?" Penny replied, her icy gaze boring into Cisco's.

"What are you doing!?" Iris snapped, and then Penny stood up from the seat she was sitting in behind the camera, and stepped over to her.

"Like I said, giving you your goodbyes." Penny then sauntered over to Barry.

"Pity." She reached her hand out, and grabbed his chin, forcing his head up. Barry could be easily considered dead right now, if it weren't for his half-lidded eyes. "You're supposed to be some extraordinary hero, and you can't even muster up the strength to string together a coherent sentence, let alone manage two words. Penny chuckled, obviously proud that she had managed to break Barry.

"...m...goin...ill...you." He mumbled.

"No, you won't." Penny then slapped him across the face, Iris squealed, Cisco balled his hands into fists. "Don't you ever attempt to threaten me again." Penny growled, and then walked back to her chair. After multiple clicks on the keyboard, she spoke.

"Hello, STAR Labs...I believe I have something of yours."

Caitlin's heartbeat picked up drastically at the sight of her beat up friends. Joe was ready to punch the screen, his blood boiling with rage.

"Now, I've had my fun with them, as you can see I did a number on your speedster friend, and now my fun is over, as is their life. Now, now, I still have some moral values, and that is why I am allowing you five minutes, to say your goodbyes, and choose who's going out with a bang, first? Hmm? Sound good?"

"I am going to hunt you down, and kill you!" Joe screamed, slamming a fist down on the desk.

Caitlin covered her mouth with a shaky hand, her gaze fixed on the screen.

"If you were going to do that, it would have happened by now, but you see, there is no way to find us. No worries, I'll give you our location later, so you can at least bury their bodies."

"Dad!" Iris screamed. She couldn't see him, only hear his voice coming through the speakers.

Caitlin's eyes suddenly went wide, and then a smirked twitched at the corner of her lips. She lowered her voice down to a whisper, and looked at Joe. "I know how to find them."

She spun around in her chair, and immediately typed away at her keyboard. "Penny, you just made the biggest mistake." Cait muttered.

"You can find them!?"

"I can track the signal from the feed. Give me a few minutes."

Joe eyed the screen nervously. "Caitlin, we don't have very much time befor-"

BANG

"NO!"


End file.
